Natural and Cultural Ecosystems

Andoni Aduriz was born in Donostia and began his career in the kitchen of a pizzeria, where he worked during school holidays and weekends.

After completing his studies at San Sebastian School of Cuisine, he went on to learn under many of the local chefs including Ramón Roteta, Hilario Arbelaitz, Jean Louis Neichel, Juan Mari Arzak, Fermín Arrambide, and Pedro Subijana, before spending the 1993-4 season at elBulli under Ferran Adriá. In 1996, he became head chef of Martín Berasategui eponymous restaurant San Sebastian. Two years later, in 1998, he opened his own restaurant, Mugaritz, atop a hillside thirty minutes from the city, in the Basque countryside.

In 2002, Aduriz was awarded the National Prize for Gastronomy and the Spanish guide lo Mejor de la Gastronomía named him both “Chef of the Year” and “Patissier of the year.” Since 2005, the Michelin guide has awarded him two stars at Mugaritz.

He has co-authored and written several cookbooks, texts, and articles.